Finding Normal
by Redfeatherquill5690
Summary: War changes people. When everything you once knew is gone how do you continue? Hogwarts may be in ruins but it's easy to rebuild stone and mortar. How do you rebuild relationships? Rebuild government? Rebuild the world you once knew? How do you find a new normal? - many points of views and relationships. H/G will be the most focused.
1. Chapter 1

I own nothing Harry Potter. I just love the characters and world JKR build for us.

Please Read & Review

 **Chapter 1 – Waking Up**  
Someone had left a window open. A strong breeze ruffled Harry's hair tickling his nose. He brushed the offender back out of his face trying to go back to sleep. It fell back. Harry sighed, resigned. Opening his eyes the memories of yesterday came flooding back. The war was over. Things could go back to normal. A pit grew in Harry's stomach. What was normal anymore?

On his left Ron and Hermione still slept. Not wanting to wake them, Harry quietly made his way to the showers. They were empty but not clean. Blood soiled the floor by the sinks. In the corner what looked like a bed sheet was torn into pieces for a make shift bandage.

Harry studied himself in the cracked mirror. A large bruise lined his chin, blood stained the right side of his face from a large cut above his eyebrow. He gingerly took off the torn, bloodstained shirt and threw it with the bed sheet. His muscles were sore as if he had just done a long training session with Oliver Wood. More bruises and scraps marred his body. A scar on his chest stood out above the rest, bright red but healed in the shape of lighting. One last token to remind Harry of Tom Riddle.

Harry threw the rest of his tarnished clothes in the growing pile of garments. He stepped into the hot shower rinsing the dirt and blood away. If only the memories of the past year could be cleaned so easily.

Feeling better after his wounds and strained muscles had a chance to relax, Harry went back to the dormitory he called home for the past seven years. He didn't have a chance to take in the dormitory last night, already half asleep when they arrived. It was bathed in the soft light of early morning. The window Harry thought was left open was actually broken letting the fresh spring air fill the room. Even though Ron and Hermione occupied two of the beds the dormitory felt empty.

There were no books left open on the bedside tables from studying the night before. No clothes lying next to the bed or even a tie hanging on the bedpost. Only Neville and Seamus had returned this year. Both trunks lay at the end of their respective beds with a thin layer of dust covering them. Harry remembered the hammocks he saw in the Room of Requirement. How long had they really been staying there?

After finding some clean clothes in Hermione's bottomless bag, Harry went down to the common room. There was a half played game of chess in the corner, the pieces looking around for their commander. Homework lying in front of the fireplace, half finished. Some books had been knocked over in the haste to exit the tower when the battle started. Harry picked them up and placed them neatly back on the table. Taking a deep breath he walked out of the common room.

The Fat Lady was gone. All of the occupants in the pictures were gone. Rubble littered the hallways, the dust almost choking. The hallway, once so familiar to Harry, was almost unrecognizable. Harry heard footsteps around the corner. He gripped his wand at the ready.

"Harry!" Ginny and Neville both had their wands on Harry but quickly dropped them. Harry was a little slower to do the same. Neville looked far better than the last time Harry saw him. His bruises had turned a sickly yellow and the cuts had been healed. He looked to have changed into some clean clothes as well. Ginny however was still wearing the jumper from last night. There was a bloody snag on the side but the revealed skin underneath looked to have been healed. Her hair was pulled back revealing a yellow bruise much like Neville's on her neck. Dark circles were under her eyes. Harry couldn't help but think she still looked beautiful.

"Where are Ron and Hermione?" She asked.

"I thought I would let them sleep in." Harry said awkwardly. Now that he thought about it there could still be Deatheaters on the grounds and going anywhere alone was not the best idea. Ginny's stern look told Harry she was thinking the same thing. Not exactly the reunion he was hoping for with her.

"What are you two doing up here?" Harry asked cutting off Ginny's rampage.

"McGonagall sent us up here to find some Ravenclaws." Neville said quickly sensing the danger and reminding Ginny they had a more important issue. "She's doing a head count of all the students. A bunch of first, second, and third year Ravenclaws are still missing. Kara Jenson was in charge of getting the younger Ravenclaws out of the castle." Neville bowed his head. "Her body was found somewhere on the sixth floor. We've been searching to see if we could find any signs of the missing students."

Harry felt the pit in his stomach grow. Another young soul ended at the beginning of her life. And this was just the beginning...

"I'll help you look." Harry said determined to help find the missing students, hopefully alive. The trio walked the hallway in silence for a while. Harry and Ginny kept glancing at each other, looking quickly away when they caught each others eye.

"Is it possible the students got out without her?" Harry asked not being able to stand the awkward silence any longer. After all the nights Harry spent staring at Ginny's name on the map, now that they were together again he had no idea what to say. Given what Harry wanted to say, now wasn't the time to say it anyway.

"I would say yes." Neville said quietly while Ginny opened a door leading to an empty classroom cautiously, wand at the ready. "But they weren't at the rendezvous with all the other younger students and Kara's brother, Jack, is one of the missing students."

"Jack and Kara were stuck together like glue this year." Neville continued following Ginny into the classroom after she waived them forward. "She would take him to all of his classes and he would come to all the DA meetings with Kara."

"He has a fire, that one." Ginny smiled in remembrance. "He wanted to come with us whenever we went out to graffiti the hallways but Kara wouldn't let him. Not that we would have let him anyway..." Ginny's smile faded. "I hope that fire won't go out now that Kara is gone." Silence hung among the group once more as they exited the empty classroom having found nothing of the missing students.

The trio turned the corner to find complete destruction. One wall was completely gone, glass scattered across the ground. The ceiling above collapsed, exposing the passage above and leaving little room to continue down the hallway. Parts of statues had been disintegrated into dust. A pool of blood was in the corner.

"This is where they found Kara." Neville said staring at the pool of blood. Harry was gazing outside the blown wall. Trees on the edge of the Black Forest were uprooted. Divot holes the size of cars scattered the grounds. Harry watched as people floated thing that looked disturbingly like bodies toward the castle. The war was over... was this supposed to be how it felt?

"Guys..."Ginny called Harry and Neville out of their morbid thoughts. "Isn't there supposed to be a door here?" Harry and Neville inspected the wall, or rather floor that Ginny was standing in front of. She was correct, the ceiling that had fallen was blocking a door leading to another classroom.

"Do you think it's safe to move it?" Neville asked. Harry was already looking over the large piece of concrete. It was leaning against the door which was barely visible behind the piece of rubble.

"It doesn't look like its supporting anything." Harry concluded. "If we move it slowly down the hall and don't bump anything we should be fine. It's going to take all three of us to move this thing though. Wingardium Leviosa on three?" Neville and Ginny readied themselves.

"One... Two... Three." The rock lifted and the three of them moved the rock further down the hallway careful not to bump anything. When they placed it down dust and small rubble fell from the piece of rubble and ceiling above. Neville, Harry, and Ginny started coughing from the dust.

"So much for the shower and clean clothes." Harry said shaking some rubble out of his hair.

The door to the classroom was damaged but intact. Neville tried the handle. It was locked which Neville fixed with a quick Alohamora. Harry stopped Neville from opening the door.

"There could just as easily be Deatheaters in there then frightened students..." Harry warned. Neville already had his wand at the ready.

"The frightened students are just as likely to attack if they think we're Deatheaters." Ginny said pushing Harry and Neville aside. She opened the door just a crack and called in. "Jack! Are you in there?" A few seconds of silence followed.

"Ginny? Is that you?" A young voice called from within. "Wait! How do I know it's really you?" Neville replied to the young voice instead.

"You put grasshoppers in my bedroll last week." Harry and Ginny chuckled. "I turned them into worms and put them in your oatmeal the next morning." Harry looked at Neville impressed. Transfiguration was never his strong suit. "It's a useful spell in the greenhouses." Neville shrugged.

The door to the classroom swung open revealing a lanky blond haired boy, tall for his age. He gave Ginny a hug which she welcomed.

"We were so worried when you didn't show up after Easter break. I am just glad your brothers let us know that you were alright." The boy was so enthusiastic. "I just hope Luna is alright. We still have no idea what happened to her."

"Luna is fine." Harry said looking around the classroom. There were about a dozen young students all of which had their wands trained on the door when they entered. They had turned over the desks and were using them as shields in a half circle. Harry was impressed. "At least she was fine last time I saw her yesterday but that was before the whole..."

"Your Harry Potter!" Interrupted a girl in the corner who could only be a first year given her size. "If your here we must have won."

"The war is over." Neville confirmed. "We all get to go home now." There was a cheer around the room. Ginny was doing a quick head count, checking each student, stopping at one who had a small cut on his head.

"Where's Kara?" Jack looked worried. "She should be here." The trio froze glancing at one another, wondering what they should tell the young boy. Ginny was the first to react kneeling down in front of him.

"Kara did what she had to in order save you." Ginny said. "All of you." She looked around the room. Everyone looked somber, Jack most of all. "I hope all of you will remember her for the sacrifice she made. I will."

"So will I." Neville said.

"Let's get you guys to the Great Hall." Ginny said squeezing Jack to her side as he wiped away his tears. "I know there are some very worried parents waiting for you."

It took three detours to get back to the ground floor. Passages were blocked and staircases had collapsed. The group was very quiet most of the way only speaking to help the younger ones over obstacles. They met very few people in the halls, none Harry recognized. They were looking through the rubble, for what, Harry didn't want to think about.

The castle was in tatters. It was going to take a lot of magic to fix the damage and even then Harry wasn't so sure it would be the same Hogwarts he remembered. When they started descending the last stairs to the entrance hall the young students started running toward their relieved parents.

The entrance hall was packed. Medi-witches were fussing over patience with large scraps and broken bones. Parents were fawning over their children or searching frantically among the crowd for them, not daring to go into the Great Hall to face their doom.

The Great Hall doors were open. Crying and pains of anguish echoed through the doors. Harry stopped on the stairs. He couldn't go in there. He didn't want to see the faces that he couldn't save. The faces of the people he knew and loved. Remus, Tonks, Fred... and countless others.

"You don't have to go in there Harry..." Ginny noticed his hesitation. She looked Harry in the eye for the first time. These were not the same brown eyes that Harry remembered. They were harder, determined and sad. "Neville, why don't you take him to the kitchens? I am sure you both could use a good meal."

"What about you?" Neville asked concerned. "You haven't even slept yet, have you?"

"I've been gone for a month Neville. Once all my duckling are accounted for I will come join you." Ginny smiled, the joy didn't fill her eyes though. "Come on, Jack. I'm sure your parents are with Kara."

Harry watched as Ginny lead the young boy though the crowd into the Great Hall. She was stopped many times by younger students for what Harry could only guess.

"Ginny's changed, hasn't she?" Harry turned to Neville. He had a look of concern also watching Ginny through the crowd.

"We all have Harry." Neville put an arm around Harry's shoulder and led him back up the stairs toward the kitchens. Harry took one last look toward Ginny before she disappeared in the Great Hall.


	2. Chapter 2: The Great Hall

**Chapter 2 - The Great Hall**  
"Do you think Kara suffered at all?" Jack asked Ginny quietly at her side. Ginny took a deep breath. This wasn't the first time she was asked this question from one of the younger students. She was afraid she was going to start sounding insincere due to repetition. Ginny took another deep breath before answering.

"I believe that Kara died knowing that you were safe along with the others. She may have been scared, but that is what makes her brave. She did what she had to do to protect you and she died knowing that she had done the right thing." Ginny lifted up Jack's chin. Tears were running down his face. "You know Kara better than anyone... Do you think she suffered?"

"I guess it is us who get to suffer." Jack responded a little anger in his voice. "Not being able to stop them from dying."

"For now..." Ginny agreed feeling her own grief toward the loss of Fred. "But some day we will be able to accept that their sacrifice meant something. It is hard to accept now but we have to be strong and make sure that the life we have been gifted means something too." Ginny said the words that she knew to be true but that she was having a hard time believing herself. The pain was too raw.

"Jack!" A woman with blonde hair much like Jack's came through the crowd and swallowed Jack in a hug. Jack clung on as if his life depended on it. "Thank you so much for finding him! Are you hurt?" The woman began to inspect every inch of her son forgetting about Ginny. A man behind her called a medi-witch to them. Jack's father, Ginny presumed, he looked like Kara.

"I'm fine Mom." Jack shrugged off her ministrations. "I want to see Kara." The parents stopped their inspection immediately as if suddenly frozen. They didn't know what to say...

"I know she's gone." Jack said sparing his parents the pain. "Ginny told me she died saving us." Ginny shrunk back into the crowd. Scared and grieving children she could handle. Angry and grieving parents she had already experienced earlier and wanted to stay away from.

"Ginny! Ginny!" Turning around Ginny was bombarded by two Hufflepuff second years. "Katie's gone! We can't find her anywhere."

"Calm down." Ginny reassured them. The younger students had been kept in such tight groups this year. When one went missing they were immediately to tell an older DA member. They looked out for one another and took it very seriously. "Katie's mother came last night. Katie's father is at St Mungo's otherwise I am sure she would have said good-bye."

"Oh..." The two girls looked a little lost. They were a group of three, the only second years to return in Hufflepuff. "Do you know when my parents are coming to get me?" One asked.

"I'm sure they will get here as soon as they can." Ginny assured her. Ginny hoped she was telling her the truth. A lot of students were now orphans or their parents were on the run as known death eaters. Then there were those imprisoned in Azkaban for 'stealing magic' as muggle-borns.

"Miss Weasley." McGonagall looked old and haggard. This past year had not been easy. "Thank you so much for finding those lost Ravenclaws. All students are accounted for." McGonagall studied her cub. "You should get some rest."

McGonagall had helped the DA so much this year Ginny had no words for how thankful she was. She couldn't openly help the group with the shenanigans around the school for fear of being kicked out, or worse, have the Carrow's punish the students in her stead. McGonagall would point any student in need to Ginny and Neville. The DA leaders would help them best they could whether it be getting a letter out to someone or helping someone escape the Carrow's 'detentions'.

Just a few days into the semester it was apparent the drastic changes that Snape and the Carrows had in store for the students. The DA quickly banded back together and Ginny, after seeing a number of young students get the bad end of the Carrows and Slytherins wands, quickly put together some safety precautions to help the younger students get around the castle. McGonagall was very proud of the way the older students called to action. She kept Ginny and Neville after class a number of times to keep updated with the DA's plans. Together they planned escape routes, hallway monitoring between classes and code words for students in case they needed help. The DA implemented them all.

All the teachers tried to help in the small ways they could. Letting them out early to get to the hall monitoring positions. Teaching them healing spells and potions when not being monitored by the Carrows. McGonagall, with the help of the Order, got them supplies such as healing salve, letters from home and much needed lessons in defense whenever possible.

"I'm serious Miss Weasley. You're going to need your rest. There will be plenty of work for you to do in the next few weeks but for now be with your family." The matron was right. Ginny's ducklings were all safe for now and no doubt some would need her help and support in the days to come with their parents gone.

Ginny looked across the Great Hall at the small group of red heads. Her family was going to need her too. Her mother was not likely to recover from the loss of Fred any time soon. And then there was George...

Ginny couldn't help but glace out of the doors as well thinking about Harry. Those eyes were filled with pain and sorrow. She desperately wanted to take that away. She could not deny the feelings she still held for him. The fantasies she had of them together again had kept her going through the year. But right now... right now there were too many things, emotions, to even think about the ones required for him. He would be a distraction to the things she didn't want to face. And he would use her the same way. It's best she stay away.

"Are you alright Miss Weasley?" McGonagall put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I thought it would feel different." Ginny confessed. "The war would be over. We would all go home and everything would go back to normal. Now I don't even know what normal is..."

"War does that." McGonagall surveyed the Great Hall. "We'll find a new normal in time. Let's hope we do it better this time." McGonagall was called away by a medi-witch tending to a 5th year Slytherin.

Ginny sat and watched the hall for a few minutes. Her heart ached when she looked at her family, now broken. Her father and mother were leaning on one another, trying to gain some kind of strength from each other. George lay next to Fred just staring at his still form. Percy stand watching with tears staining his face. Charlie and Bill were nowhere to be seen, no doubt trying to help where they could, like Ginny. Ginny should be over there but she felt useless by her family's side. She had no comforting words like she did for the younger students. The words seemed so empty when talking about her own brother.

Ginny looked back to where Jack and his parents stood by their fallen member. A small crowd had formed around them. The young Ravenclaw's Ginny had just brought down to the Great Hall were surrounding Kara. Each, in turn, took one of her cold hands and whispered some words Ginny could not hear. After each student said their good bye they left with their parents or friends.

Ginny stood up and took a step toward her own family. All her ducklings were safe for now. She would check in with her parents before going to bed. Exhaustion had swept over her.

"Ginny!" A call from the entrance of the hall. Hestia Jones was in the doorway. Ginny gave her a hopeful look, praying she had good news. Hestia shook her head dolefully, Ginny's hopes dashed.

Looking back at her family, Ginny noticed her father looking her way, no doubt his attention drawn from Hestia's call. Ginny gave him a look of guilt before turning toward Hestia. Her family needed her, she knew, but one of her ducklings needed her more at the moment. She just hoped her family would understand.

A/N: I know it is short but I prefer quality over quantity

Please Review. Feedback is always helpful.


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